Drawing on rap, hip-hop, jazz, trap and soul, Congolese-Irish-South African Nyota has created her own unique style that she calls Trazz. It’s music with a message and it’s winning her fans by the thousands who connect to the thought-provoking lyrics and deep bass beats, infused with almost nostalgic trip-hop and neo-soul elements.

She says about her upcoming performance: “This year’s audiences should prepare to be inspired by a genre many consider to be just hype. I want to encourage young people to be individuals, and not to feel that they must conform to society.”

Dan Plato, Executive Mayor of Cape Town, said, “I’m really pleased that the City of Cape Town is providing platforms for our youth to develop their talents and show what they have to offer.

“This year’s switching on of the festive lights will have around 100 000 guests in attendance, and we will be seeing some well-established and top performers, as well as welcoming to the stage, two of our local up and coming stars, one of them being Yanga from Delft, the winner of this year’s Idols and, Nyota Parker, who won the Festive Lights Switch-On Music Challenge. I’m looking forward to seeing our youth put their talents on display.”